


My Idol Lifeguard

by TheGreatWave74



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Compassionate Rise, Cute, Established Relationship, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Naoto Can't Swim, Self-Conscious Naoto, Swim lessons, Swimming Pools, Swimsuits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:00:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27613147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatWave74/pseuds/TheGreatWave74
Summary: Naoto couldn't understand how Rise had convinced her to go swimming, especially considering her inability to, well... swim. Luckily, Rise has all the patience in the world, and she decides to take it upon herself to show her shy girlfriend the ropes.
Relationships: Kujikawa Rise/Shirogane Naoto
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	My Idol Lifeguard

Was it possible for anyone to become so embarrassed that they could literally die? That’s exactly what Naoto Shirogane seemed to believe right about now.

The detective couldn’t understand how Rise had managed to convince her to spend the day with her at the pool, especially considering how anxious she always became whenever she was thrown into such… compromising scenarios. One moment, Naoto was busying herself with her studies alongside her wonderful girlfriend, but before she even realized what was happening, the bubbly idol was excitedly dragging both of them into the women’s changing rooms. She fervently protested against going swimming, obviously, but it all happened so fast, and Naoto felt completely powerless against Rise’s wholehearted enthusiasm, which always melted away any concerns she may have had along with her will to resist.

Why did the idol have to be so darn irresistible? Someone as adorable as Rise giving her puppy eyes should be illegal, or banned at the very least.

Personally, Naoto disliked doing something as frivolous as going to the pool. No, scratch that… she absolutely hated it.

It wasn’t so much that she detested the notion of exercise, far from it, actually. A healthy body led to a healthy mind, after all, so it only made sense to regularly participate in physical activities. What _really_ bothered the young teen, however, was that in order to swim, she would… have to wear a swimsuit, and wearing a swimsuit meant that she’d have little choice but to expose her womanhood in broad daylight. Sure, ever since Naoto had accepted her shadow self, the detective had slowly become more comfortable with her femininity, including dressing a bit more appropriately to match her true identity as a woman, but that didn’t make her any less nervous about it. 

That, and she had not the slightest clue how to swim at all.

A rock would probably have better chances at floating than she did.

Still, it was only because Rise herself suggested this little public outing together that Naoto had agreed to do this at all. If anyone else had asked her to go to the pool, she most likely would have dismissed the offer in a heartbeat, as the young detective would be beyond mortified wearing so little clothing. It was difficult enough just to put on her school uniform, which, to her, already seemed quite revealing.

Especially the length of her skirt.

With Rise, however… Naoto felt that she could make an exception, if only because the two were dating. Plus, in the few months since they had started going out together, the detective had discovered how overwhelmingly helpless she was against the idol’s charms, making it all but impossible for her to say no.

So it was with a mixture of great anticipation and anxiousness that Naoto went with the copper-haired girl to the community swimming pool the following day.

Admittedly, getting changed took Naoto longer than she would care to acknowledge, mostly because of her firm belief that almost everyone else was staring at her, including Rise, who she definitely caught checking her out a few times. If they weren’t out in public, then perhaps she would have been more comfortable with the notion of being seen, but unfortunately that wasn’t a luxury she could afford right now. Naoto had to fight desperately to suppress her urge to flee from everyone’s prying eyes, and a short while later, the flustered teen exited the changing room, clad only in her school swimsuit, which was about the only swimsuit she owned. Both her arms were tightly wrapped around her exposed chest, and Naoto’s face was already glowing bright red.

This whole situation reminded her of the beauty pageant she and the other girls were forced to participate in, and the mere reminder of that day made her blush all the more apparent. Honestly, it was nothing short of a miracle that she remained as loosely composed as she was, although even that seemed like it could fail at any minute.

And that couldn’t have been more true when Naoto finally laid eyes upon Rise, who had been patiently waiting outside while the self-conscious girl finished changing. She was wearing a bright orange bikini adorned with a floral pattern, and a light blue towel had been slung over her shoulders. Rise looked every bit as attractive as she did in her photoshoots, with her silky, copper red hair free of it's usual pigtails and her petite yet toned figure being put on full display for everyone to see. She attracted quite a few stares, but the one most enraptured by her appearance was none other than Naoto, who was trying her utmost best not to stare as well, but failing miserably.

“Ah, there you are, Naoto-kun!” She happily sauntered towards her girlfriend, throwing both arms around Naoto in a loving hug. “I was worried you weren’t ever going to come out of there!”

Naoto's heart went into overdrive at Rise's soft touch. “W-Why wouldn't I? I-It's not like I could just leave you here."

"Yeah, but… I know how uncomfortable this probably is for you. I'll bet this is only the second time you've ever worn a swimsuit in your whole life."

"Uncomfortable is… quite an understatement. I-I… I feel as if I'm wearing nothing at all." Naoto bashfully averted her gaze. She could only imagine how red she must look right now. "A-And… yes, this is… the second time I've ever worn clothing this… revealing. A-Aside from undergarments, that is!" Her cheeks turned scarlet at that last statement, which she instantly regretted as Rise let out a tiny giggle in response.

"Well, I guess it's only natural for you to be embarrassed."

"Y-You don't say…" The detective anxiously fidgeted in Rise's hold as she struggled to keep calm. Naoto knew that at some point, she'd need to get used to wearing such inadequate amounts of clothing on a regular basis. Well, maybe not to _this_ degree, but still, she felt as if she still had quite a ways to go.

Suddenly, Naoto felt a hand being gently cupped underneath her chin, to which her absent gaze was then delicately shifted towards a very calm and caring Rise, whose patient smile shined as bright as, if not more so, the scorching sun outside.

"Hey, it's totally alright to feel nervous. There's no reason why you shouldn't be, I mean, you've never done any of this before. It's perfectly fine to be a little bit afraid. As a matter of fact, I might not look like it, but I'm just as nervous as you are about being a swimsuit."

"H-Huh?" Naoto gave her an almost incredulous look of surprise. "You? Of all people? Nervous? That sounds… impossible, especially considering how… open, you are with everyone."

"Of course I am, silly! I'm a living, breathing, thinking person, after all. I've got as much emotions as anyone else does. I've just learned to hide them well when I need to. You of all people should know that."

Naoto flinched, realizing the full implication of her previous statement. "A-Ah! I-I apologize! I didn't mean to imply-"

"It's fine, Naoto." Rise cut in. "I know you didn't mean any harm."

"B-But-!" Part of her wanted to apologize further, but she knew Rise had already forgiven her, so Naoto ceased trying to say anything else. Not that she was confident enough to argue with her girlfriend right now. "…Alright. So… how do you do it, then? Not being embarrassed, I mean."

"That's easy. Just don't think about it and have fun instead!"

"…Wait, what? Have fun?" She… was joking, right? It couldn't possibly be such a simple solution… could it? "How… exactly does having fun correlate to not being embarrassed?"

At that moment, Rise's smile shifted into a more playful, mischievous grin, and Naoto unfortunately knew exactly what that meant. "Why don't we hop in the pool and find out?"

The flirty idol gingerly grabbed hold of her wrist, giving Naoto a slight tug towards the open body of water. 

"W-Wait, Rise! H-Hold on!" Naoto immediately protested, but found herself unable to resist as she was suddenly overcome with a feeling of weakness that reduced her arms and legs to feeling like jelly. She felt herself be gradually pulled across the tile floor, with Rise stopping only so she could place her towel on a nearby lounge chair before excitedly guiding the detective into the pool.

Naoto wanted to say no. She wasn't mentally prepared to go swimming at all, and her many anxieties were quickly catching up to her. Nonetheless, she allowed herself to be pulled along by the plucky girl. 

Rise had never given her a reason to doubt her judgement before, and despite the young teen's obvious reservations, Naoto trusted her girlfriend's instincts.

Stepping into the community pool, the flustered detective recoiled slightly when the warm water brushed against her bare feet, even more still as she and Rise wandered deeper and deeper into the chlorinated depths. Being just _barely_ five feet tall, it didn't take long before the water reached Naoto's chest, and although the idol was just barely taller than her, she was just as encumbered as well.

The difference, however, was that Rise knew how to swim, while the detective did not.

"R-Rise, I-I think this is far enough!" Naoto exclaimed, fear pervading her now feminine voice and keeping her firmly rooted to what little ground was left, though she could hardly maintain a solid footing as the water threatened to sweep her off her feet.

Rise turned to meet her gaze, her hand still gently grasping Naoto's wrist. "Aww, but we aren't even at the deep end yet!" She pouted.

"I think this is plenty deep enough! I'd rather not risk going somewhere I could easily drown!"

"But you don't have to worry about drowning, Naoto-kun. After all, you've got the cutest lifeguard in town to keep you afloat~!" She winked back at Naoto, giving out an amused chuckle before sporting a rather serious look on her face. "Don't worry, I won't let you sink. I'll stay by your side the entire time if that's what it takes to make you less nervous. Does that sound okay?"

Naoto was reluctant to go any further, but… if anything were to go wrong, then Rise would immediately come to her aid. That little piece of reassurance eventually convinced her to go through with going into the deeper waters, though she remained cautious. "I… suppose so. Just… p-please don't let go until I'm fully prepared."

Rise smiled. "I promise."

The idol finally released her grip on Naoto's wrist, and instead, she carefully wrapped her left arm around Naoto's slender waist, pulling her in closer. "Hold on tight, okay?" Naoto quietly nodded, throwing both arms around Rise's neck for safety as the copper-haired girl slowly began to carry them both into the deep end of the pool.

In an instant, she felt what little grip she had left slip away, and Naoto instinctively latched tighter to Rise, her legs kicking at the water in a slightly terrified manner, as the plucky girl was now her only lifeline.

"M-My feet aren't touching the bottom!" She panicked, feeling the weightlessness of the water overtake her.

"W-Woah, easy, Naoto!" Rise stopped navigating across the pool, trying to reassure the flailing Naoto, lest she be accidentally dragged down into the deep waters with her. "I've got you, alright? You're not gonna fall in, I swear."

"I-I know. I trust you with my life, but… this feels… so strange!"

"You'll get used to it eventually, although I think everyone feels nervous the first time they go swimming. That's how I felt at least." She coiled her other arm around Naoto's waist. "Here, if it helps, just keep looking at me. It'll help keep your mind off the water… and you'll get to see your beautiful girlfriend at the same time~" She teased.

Naoto blushed at Rise's obvious flirting, but understood what she was trying to say. "O-Okay. I'll try."

Putting her worries aside as best as she could, Naoto bashfully looked straight into Rise's deep brown eyes, all while the idol continued to flash that same passionate, endearing smile that won over the detective many times before. But after a few moments of longingly staring at Rise, Naoto quickly became far too embarrassed by her current predicament to maintain further eye contact, so she eventually turned away, blushing brightly the whole time. She knew that Rise didn't mind her staring, but they were out in public, where everyone could see them acting like a cute couple, so her shyness was amplified about ten times higher than usual.

They were so close, their faces just inches away from each other, and that wasn't even counting how their bodies were pressed up against one another. Rise felt soft and plush, overwhelmingly so. If it wasn't for the fact that she was currently in the process of learning to swim, Naoto might've enjoyed the pleasant sensation of holding her lover a little more. She had trouble saying it, but… Naoto wished she could hold Rise all the time. 

…Preferably when they weren't in public.

Mere moments later, the young couple found themselves idly hovering in the very heart of the deep end, with Naoto still tightly clinging to her girlfriend. The detective glanced down at the pool's depths, briefly wincing at how large of a gap there was between her legs and the bottom of the tile floor.

"So… what now?" She warily asked, looking back up at Rise.

"Well… that depends on you. Do you feel any more comfortable being in the water?"

Naoto paused. "Um, a little, but… could we wait just a few more moments? I need to… prepare myself."

"Sure thing. We'll do things at your own pace, so take as much time as you need. I'll wait."

"T-Thank you." A nervous grin crept onto her face.

It was amazing how Rise could be so energetic one moment and then act so calm and collected the next, but that was just one of the many reasons she fell in love with Rise. The redhead never told her how she needed to behave, or that what she might've been doing was wrong. Rise simply supported her the whole time, reassuring Naoto whenever she felt uncertain of herself, all while acting like her usual cheerful self.

It felt nice, not having to worry about putting on a front for others. With Rise, Naoto was free to be whatever she wanted to be, and right now… she wanted to be strong. 

For herself… and Rise.

"Okay… I think I'm ready." Naoto looked back at the idol. "So… how exactly do you go about floating?"

The redhead thought for a moment. "Well… the most important thing to remember is that you always need to keep your breathing steady. If you don't, then you'll just end up sinking no matter what you do."

"That sounds simple enough," she mentally began to take notes on Rise's careful instructions, "but… I imagine there's more to it than just breathing right."

"Definitely." She nodded. "You want to keep your body relaxed at all times. Going all stiff is just going to make you less likely to float. Another thing you want to do is always keep kicking at the water. Not forcefully, but just enough to propel yourself above the surface. The same goes for your arms, too. Like this." Rise brought her one free arm up to demonstrate as she gently stroked against the liquid in a calm, even manner. "Aaaand that's about it. Really, it's a lot easier if you try it out for yourself."

"Keep my breathing steady, my body relaxed, and gently kick at the water." Naoto recited aloud. "I think I can handle that."

"Good." Rise gave her a confident smile. "Just take your time, okay? We've got all day to practice, so there's no need for you to rush. And if anything goes wrong, I'll be right here to save you."

"I… really appreciate that." The detective's lips curled into a gentle smile, one filled with the utmost gratitude towards the wonderful girl in her arms.

"It's the least I can do. I _am_ your girlfriend, after all."

Naoto took several deep gulps of air, trying to stabilize her breathing. She could do this. If she could solve crimes at the young age of sixteen, then she could certainly learn how to swim. It was just a simple matter of working up the courage to do so.

"Okay… here goes nothing." With one last breath, Naoto slowly started to unwind her arms around Rise's neck, though the idol maintained a loose hold around her waist, just in case. The detective's eyes alternated back and forth between the water and her girlfriend, her senses working overtime as she allowed the sense of weightlessness to envelop her small frame.

She did as she was instructed, keeping her breathing steady while relaxing her body at the same time. Like Rise had said, floating was definitely something that needed to be practiced, as more than a few times Naoto's head came dangerously close to sinking underwater as she bobbed around on the surface. Each time it happened, Rise would instinctively move to grab her, raising Naoto back up to the surface. Eventually, after struggling to find the right balance of breathing and kicking down at the water, Naoto, for the first time in her life, was floating.

All on her own.

"I don't believe it…!" She could hardly hold back her shock, but once she got the right pattern down, maintaining her buoyancy just seemed to come naturally. "I-I… I'm actually… floating!" A hysterical laugh escaped Naoto's throat as she looked up at Rise, who was absolutely beaming at the sight of her girlfriend now being able to tread water whenever she pleased.

"You did it, Naoto!" She giddily cheered, rushing over to give Naoto another tight squeeze. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

The blue-haired girl initially recoiled at her abundant enthusiasm, but she eventually returned the tender embrace, not caring if their affectionate display caught the eyes of a few random bystanders. "W-Well… I was only able to do this because I had you to teach me. If I hadn't met you, then I probably would've stayed out of the water for the rest of my life. So… thank you."

"Aww, that's so sweet of you, Naoto-kun! I'm really glad to hear that!" She gushed, adding a wholehearted chuckle at the end. "Now… how do you feel? Still embarrassed about being in a swimsuit?"

"…W-What?" As if just now remembering her current situation, she swiftly glanced down at her own swimsuit-clad figure before briskly covering her chest with one arm. "W-Well now I am!" She exclaimed, feeling her self-consciousness coming back in droves.

"But while you were learning to swim, did you feel embarrassed?"

"I-I-" Naoto's eyes went wide as she thought back to the last few hectic moments. "…No. I didn't feel nervous at all…! I was too preoccupied trying not to drown to really notice…!" She looked back at Rise, only to see her give a knowing smile, like she knew something like this would happen.

"The only reason you're so embarrassed is because you keep thinking about it nonstop. That's pretty much the whole reason why people feel flustered about something to begin with, whether it's wearing a swimsuit or even just talking to people. Of course, it's perfectly fine to feel embarrassed." Rise leaned in a bit closer, her voice now a slight whisper as she floated nose to nose with Naoto. "They don't really tell you this in the magazines, but even the most famous actors and models get stage-fright all the time."

"…And that includes you?"

"Well, obviously!" Now Rise who the one who was blushing madly. Somehow, it managed to make her look even more beautiful than before. "I mean, just look at me! I'm wearing a bikini while holding onto my smart, cute, and very shy girlfriend as I teach her how to swim. There's no way I could _not_ feel nervous! If it wasn't for the fact that I've had all sorts of training, then I'd probably be on the same page as you!"

"O-Oh… I-Is that so…?" Rise calling her things like cute and smart always made Naoto's heart feel as if it was about to explode from how hard it was pounding deep inside her chest. In this state, she felt her normally calm and collected mind begin to race uncontrollably, and her cheeks once again turned a crimson red.

"Yeah. That's right." Rise reaffirmed. "If you're going to overcome embarrassment, the real trick is to work _with_ your feelings, not against them. Doing things like laughing, or swimming, or even just running around without a care in the world makes it easier to deal with the stress, and if you've done those things as many times as I have, you'll find that you're not as nervous about things you would have been all bashful about in the past."

"I-I see." Naoto replayed her advice in her head over and over again, trying to best summarize what she had heard. "So… in order to feel less insecure about myself, I just have to… let it go and have fun? And by doing that over and over… I'll stop being embarrassed?"

"Yes and no. Trust me, you'll still be all shy or whatever whenever you do stuff like this, but you'll be so used to it that it won't affect you as often. Although… I guess it also depends on your personality, too." The image of a certain seductive high school teacher simultaneously popped up in both of their minds. "Plus… it gets a lot easier when you do it all with someone you really care about. Like me~!" 

Rise let out a merry laugh, which Naoto eventually returned in the form of her own small, mirthful chuckle. "Yeah. Like you."

The two high schooler's foreheads briefly nuzzled together, with both girls being content to hold each other forever.

Over time, Naoto found that whenever the idol seemed to be enjoying herself, a similar (if not identical) feeling would rise from deep inside her soul, and that despite her apparent shyness, she always found herself laughing alongside the redhead. Naoto deeply cherished that warm feeling. She felt so free every time they shared a moment together. Rise filled her with a boundless courage that Naoto never knew was possible until they began dating.

The last thing she ever expected to do was fall in love with an idol.

But… here she was, embracing Rise as they held each other in the pool. It made the blue-haired girl completely forget about her lack of clothing entirely as she longingly stared into her lover's eyes.

And quite frankly… Naoto wouldn't want to change anything about their relationship. She wanted nothing more than to stay by Rise's side for the rest of her life, and the same no doubt applied to the affectionate, loving girl currently hugging her.

"So… now that we've had our a little heart-to-heart, what do you say we keep working on getting you your water wings?" Rise eventually asked, pulling back slightly.

Naoto smiled. "I would very much appreciate that."

Another happy giggle escaped Rise's lips. "Don't worry, Naoto-kun. On my honor as your girlfriend, I promise that by the end of the day, you'll be a proper mermaid!" Rise joked as she carefully unwrapped herself from Naoto, gently taking the detective's hands into her own.

Maybe… Naoto could stand to go swimming more often.

Just as long as she could do it with her cute lifeguard.


End file.
